https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/press-releases/gosh-team-begins-development-oesophagus-replacement-therapy-infants-birth-defects/

GOSH team begins development of oesophagus replacement therapy for infants with birth defects

9 May 2014, 3:12 p.m.

Paolo de Coppi

A technique for replacing oesophageal tissue in babies who have not developed the organ properly is currently being established by surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in collaboration with teams from UCL (University College London) and Royal Free Hospital. 

The work could prove to be the first step towards a clinical trial of a tissue engineered oesophagus in infants. As the lack of a complete oesophagus leads to severe feeding problems, this technique could provide effective swallowing for children as they grow.

Infants born with oesophageal atresia lack a complete oesophagus, resulting in an inability to feed, long-term health issues and often requiring full-time care. Around 250 babies are born yearly with this condition in the UK – a large number of which are treated at GOSH. Current surgical repair approaches for this condition are generally ineffective therefore alternative techniques are greatly needed.

Building on previous work, the team are set to develop their approach using stem and other cells taken from amniotic fluid in pregnancy, which are then grown on a donor 'scaffold' to create a new oesophagus. Development and analysis of this technique is expected to lead to a clinical trial in newborns in 2016.

This work is possible thanks to funding by the UK Stem Cell Foundation and support from UCL Business PLC.

Dr Paolo de Coppi, consultant paediatric surgeon at GOSH & clinical senior lecturer at UCL Institute of Child Health, said: ‘At Great Ormond Street Hospital we treat some of the most severe cases of oesophageal atresia, witnessing the difficult long-term health problems these children experience. This funding from the UKSCF, for which we are very grateful, will help us develop this technology, ultimately providing patients with an entirely new oesophagus rather than trying to repair an inadequate one. This is part of our wider research into regenerative medicine, in which we are aiming to engineer rejection-free organs and tissues for transplant.'

Contact Information

For further information, please contact the GOSH press office: Caroline Butcher on + 44 (0)20 7239 3178 or caroline.butcher@gosh.org.

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Notes to Editors

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust is the country’s leading centre for treating sick children, with the widest range of specialists under one roof.
With the UCL Institute of Child Health, we are the largest centre for paediatric research outside the US and play a key role in training children’s health specialists for the future.
Our charity needs to raise £50 million every year to help rebuild and refurbish Great Ormond Street Hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research. With your help we provide world class care to our very ill children and their families.